Ever since Brock
lost his mate and son in a tragic murder, he’s been unable to move on. When
urged to go back home and bury his past, he never expected to meet Sarah. The
demon is strong, sexy, and kind-hearted. Everything a man could want in a
woman.

Sarah has longed
to discover the mate who completes her and finds herself wondering about the
demon who left the house next door shrouded in magic. After he appears in her
camera lens, it’s an instant attraction and doesn’t take long to realize he
belongs to her.

When Elias steps
into the picture, Sarah must fight the urges he stirs inside her. She can’t
believe fate has given her two mates. Now she is faced with a decision. Choose
the one who promises nights of passion and undying love, or the other who can
only offer her his broken heart.

Sarah
stood outside the house and watched while Brock unraveled the magic woven
around it. The demon fidgeted and paced, and on more than one occasion, she
worried he would run from her. She hoped, once inside, he would be able to find
peace. Something in her gut told her his jitters were not all due to the
opening of old wounds. She realized she actually made him nervous. When she’d
caught him admiring her assets, she’d been anything but angry. His roving eyes
had sent moisture between her thighs and a longing that nearly had her shoving
him to the floor to sate her desire. Hot, inviting, he made her mouth water.
She wondered if he tasted anything like the spicy cinnamon scent she inhaled
every time she got near him and decided she needed to find out. Would it be in
poor taste to seduce him when he was at his weakest? For some reason, she
didn’t care, and that was really out of character for her.

“Sarah?”

She
looked up and met his dark, brown eyes, noting a twinkle of mischief in them.

“Find
something you like?” he chuckled.

Shit.
She’d been caught staring at his ass. Well, it wasn’t her fault he filled out a
pair of jeans like nobody’s business. Not to mention he was standing two steps
up from her which put the muscular perfection right at eye level. She curled her
lips upward. “As a matter of fact, yes. Yes, I did.” There, let him chew on
that! She hoped he’d take it as a hint of her interest.

He
tipped back his head in laughter. “Well, I guess I deserve that after I gawked
at you.”

He
pushed the door open, his features immediately schooled. Her heart ached for
him and longed to see the sexy smile again. Her new goal was to get him through
this and help him move on. She wanted to get to know the real Brock. The one
who wasn’t in pain. “I’ll go first just to make sure it’s safe.” He slipped
past the threshold and disappeared. Sarah remained on the first step, waiting
for him to give her the all clear. Minutes later, he stuck his head out, his
face ashen. “You can come in.”

She
made her way up the remaining steps and through the doorway, not sure what she
would find inside and half expecting her senses to be assaulted. She took in a
deep breath and found the air to be crisp and clean. She must have had a
puzzled look on her face.

“The
spell kept everything out so there’s no mildew or mold,” he stated matter of
fact.

She
glanced around the spacious kitchen and felt as if she’d stepped back in time.
The white porcelain refrigerator and gas range with its side storage
compartment were state of the art for the period when the house had been
previously occupied. Everything glistened as if freshly cleaned, waiting for
the museum patrons to walk through the time capsule. She noticed Brock no
longer stood next to her so she moved across the linoleum floor to the beige carpeted
living room. She found him standing in the center, staring down at the floor.

“Brock?”
She walked up and stood next to him. He didn’t respond and almost seemed to be
mesmerized except that his hands balled into fists then released, only to
repeat the process. Her heart fractured. Clearly, this was where he had found
his mate. She reached out to touch him but hesitated unsure how he would
respond. “Brock, maybe this wasn’t a good idea. I think we should leave.”

He
lifted his head and glanced around the room. “No. I need to face my ghosts. I
guess I wasn’t expecting it to be this difficult.” He ran his fingers through
his short, blond hair. “Hell, I’m not really sure what I was expecting.”

It
was heartbreaking to see him so vulnerable. This time, she didn’t stop herself
from placing a hand on his arm.

“Is
this where…?” She couldn’t finish the question without her voice giving away
her emotions.

About
the Author:

As a child,
Valerie would often get into trouble for peeking at her mother’s favorite TV
show, Dark Shadows. She can still hear her mother saying “It will give you
nightmares.” She was right of course, but that did not stop Valerie from
watching. As an adult, her love of the fanged creatures never waned. She would
watch any vampire movie she could find.

Being a true
romantic, Valerie was thrilled when she discovered the genre of paranormal
romance. Her first read was one of Lara Adrian’s, Midnight Breed Series and
from there she was hooked.

Today, Valerie
has decided to take her darker, sensual side and put it to paper. When she is
not busy creating a world full of steamy, hot men and strong, seductive women,
she juggles her time between a full-time job, hubby and her two German shepherd
dogs, in Northern IL.

Valerie is a
member of Romance Writers of America and Fantasy, Futuristic and Paranormal
Romance Writers.

Kayden McLeod is a paranormal and fantasy author, who dreams big, and writes bigger. She gets her inspirations from all manners of life and events that surround her. She is best known for her paranormal books, the Coven Series. Now, she embarks on new adventures in the dark world of Shadowdyn, found in the pages of the Demon Queen Series. As well, she has started to write her first YA fantasy books under the name Kinsey Knight.

She is an award winning Cover and Graphic Artist, and the co-owner of Otherworlds Publicity. In the past, she's completed cover art for a variety of publishers, although her freelance makes up most of her portfolio.

She co-owns Siren Book Reviews, an inspiration Brigit Aine and herself dreamed up. A site devoted to reviewing qualityfiction, and creating a home dedicated to their reviewers.